Poland - Eastern Europe - page 387

FAST FACTS: Poland
American Express Warsaw Lim Center, Al Jerozolimskie 65/79 ( & 022/630-

69-52; open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm).
Business Hours Stores and offices are generally open Monday to Friday 9am to
6pm. Banks are open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm. Some larger stores have
limited Saturday hours, usually 9am to noon. Museums and other tourist attrac-
tions are often closed on Mondays.
Doctors & Dentists In Warsaw, the LIM Medical Center is centrally located in the
Marriott complex and staffs a full range of English-speaking doctors and special-
ists (al. Jerozolimskie 65/79; & 022/458-70-00 ). For dentists, the Austrian Den-
tal Center (Zelazna 54; & 022/654-21-16 ) comes highly recommended.
Electricity Polish outlets follow the Continental norm (220v, 50hz) with two
round plugs. Most appliances that run on 110v will require a transformer.
Embassies U.S.: ul. Ujadowskie 29/31, & 022/502-20-00; Canada: ul. Matejki
1/5, & 022/584-31-00; U.K.: al. Ró9 1, & 022/311-00-00.
Emergencies In an emergency, dial the following numbers: police & 997, fire
& 998, ambulance & 999, road assistance & 981 or 9637 (Polish motoring asso-
ciation/PZM). The general emergency number if using a cellphone is & 112.
Internet & E-mail Internet cafes are ubiquitous throughout Warsaw, Kraków,
and other large cities. Internet cafes generally charge around 2 zl (65¢/40p) per
half-hour of Internet use. Many better hotels now set aside at least one public
computer for guests to use. A growing number of better hotels and cafes now
offer wireless Internet access.
Post Offices & Mail The rate for mailing a postcard abroad is 2.50 zl (about
80¢/45p) and a first-class letter 3.20 zl ($1.05/60p).
Safety Violent crime is relatively rare, but theft is a serious problem. Don't
leave valuables in cars overnight. Watch your pockets and purses carefully. If
you're traveling with a bike, don't leave it outside unattended (even if it's
firmly locked). Many hotels and pensions will allow you to take your bicycle in
with you to your room.
Telephones & Fax Poland's country code is 48. To dial Poland from abroad, dial
the international access code (for example, 011 in the U.S.), plus 48 and then the
local Poland area code (minus the zero). The area code for Warsaw is 02. To call
long distance within Poland, dial the area code (retaining the zero) plus the
number. To dial abroad from Poland, dial 00 and then the country code and area
code to where you are calling. A call to the U.S. or Canada would begin 00-1.
Time Zone Poland is in the Central European Time zone (CET), 1 hour ahead of
GMT and 6 hours ahead of the eastern United States.
Tipping In restaurants, round up the bill by 10% to reward good service. Bell-
hops, taxi drivers, and tour guides will also expect a small amount in return for
services rendered. Around 5 zl ($1.70/£1) is usually enough under any circum-
stance.
Toilets Public toilets are a relative rarity, so you'll find yourself seeking out
nearby restaurants or hotels and asking to use the facilities. This is usually not